Distribution

Design & Production

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8 Facts about Business That Will Help You Publish Your Book

by Rochelle D. Carter
Bowker | Tue Aug 4, 2015

The SBA defines a small business as an enterprise having fewer than 500 employees. There are almost 28 million small businesses in the US and over 22 million are self-employed with no additional payroll or employees (these are called non-employers).

Did you know that by publishing your book, you are starting a small business as an author? It seems strange to many authors, but the changes in the publishing industry has made it both easier and harder to become a professional author- also called an authorpreneur. When starting a new business, it's important to know the current state of small business affairs and get a little help along the way.

The journey into authorpreneurship can seem daunting, but here are a few facts about starting a business that may help you along the way:

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Sell More Books Overseas: Getting Reviews on International Amazon Sites

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue May 12, 2015

Getting international sales is always an important part of an author’s campaign but selling overseas can be tricky. The good news is: Amazon is everywhere. The bad news is that most of these author/book pages overseas are blank slates and populating them means either finding reviewers in these countries or finding reviewers who have accounts internationally. For the most part, I’ve only seen Amazon top reviewers have this kind of access. Though technically anyone can review internationally, most don’t.

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Getting Agreement Among Multiple Decision Makers

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Apr 28, 2015

When you sell a few hundred books to a prospective customer, the decision is usually made quickly, by one or two people. You might close the sale with a handshake and purchase order after a few meetings. But the process changes when you propose the sale of tens of thousands of your books to corporate buyers. These decisions are scrutinized at higher levels since the results can make or break careers.

Typically, large-quantity book sales are rarely made on a unilateral basis. In most cases, the decision authority lies with a committee, the members of which have different roles. These people may be from sales, marketing, purchasing, warehousing, legal and Human Resources. You, as the salesperson for your book, must build consensus among these diverse perspectives to close the sale. How can you do this? Here are a few techniques.

Meet varying needs collectively

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Top Ten Tips for Creating a Sales Proposal

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Mon Apr 20, 2015

When negotiating a large-quantity order your prospects will expect you to present a proposal. This is your recommendation of how to proceed, your solution to the buyer’s problem. Give them an answer to the unspoken question, “How will your product make a credible improvement over the existing or previous ways in which they have conducted promotional campaigns?” Here are the Top Ten Tips for Creating a Sales Proposal.

1. Give a summary of what you propose, why it will benefit the buyer and how much it will cost – all on one page.

2. An 8 – 15% improvement gets attention. If you predict a result that is too low, they are not interested. If too high, it is not believable. Make a reasonable and doable claim that is backed by credible data. Do not offer a guarantee.

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What to do When Someone Steals Your Stuff

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Apr 14, 2015

It’s happened to all of us at one time or another. You write a great article either on your blog or as a guest post, and one day you find it on someone else’s site with no credit to you whatsoever. In the case of what happened that prompted this piece, an article I wrote was lifted and tinkered with *slightly* and then reposted onto someone else’s site. What do you do if that happens? Well, it’s certainly a hassle but it’s one you should consider following up on because stealing someone else’s work – especially stealing it and repurposing it, is not right and certainly a copyright infringement.

Writing

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Expand From Your Core Business to Build Your Sales and Profits

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Fri Apr 3, 2015

The process of selling books has not changed much in many years. Publishers publish books that are sold through bookstores to their customers. Granted, the arrival of Amazon.com altered the dynamics of the playing field, but it is still the same field.

Some publishers think more strategically and try to break from this crowded turf by differentiating their content from competitive titles. But that is still not enough. Long-term success will not be achieved through product differentiation alone, where the focus remains on the book and competitive titles. This strategy is akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

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Get Your Book into Costco (and other specialty stores)

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 31, 2015

Authors ask me all the time: How can I get my book into Costco? To tell you the truth, it’s really not that complicated. But let’s look at the different ways that Costco stocks product:

Nationally: In order to be considered for national in-store distribution, you need to pass several (many) checks and your book needs to go to their book buyer who is super particular about what she buys for the stores. Product needs to move fast in Costco which is why you may see something one week but not the next. Books that are given national distribution meet a certain criteria - most of it having to do with sales and movie tie-ins. If your book doesn’t meet this criteria, take heart. There are other options.

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SELF-e Comes to Cuyahoga | Self-Publishing and Libraries

by James LaRue
Bowker | Tue Feb 24, 2015

SELF-e is the partnership between Library Journal and Charleston, SC’s BiblioLabs. A BiblioLabs product, Biblioboard, is a platform that seeks to bring (among other things) self-published works into the library ecosystem.

I spoke recently with Hallie Rich, Cuyahoga County Public Library’s communications and external relations director, about the library’s pilot project with the platform.

It all began when LJ reached out to the Cuyahoga team about a year ago. In October of this year the library did a soft launch, then rolled out a call to local writers and writer groups. It culminated in a talk by BiblioLabs’ Mitchell Davis, and a discussion panel of local authors.